Sharpening the Saw… Sideways

Summary
Every engineering leader wants to get better at the craft, but growth doesn’t always come from going deeper into what you already know. Sometimes, it comes from the side.

This talk is about taking bets outside your comfort zone and why those seemingly unrelated moves might matter more than you think.

I’ll share my personal experiences exploring adjacent skills like storytelling, improv, and vocal training, and how they sharpened the way I lead, communicate, and show up at work.

It’s not a prescription. It’s an invitation to step off the usual path, try something unexpected, and see what it unlocks.

About the Speaker
Diego Quiroga is a Senior Engineering Leader at Microsoft, where he leads platform teams for Viva Engage, the workplace’s definitive social app. With over two decades of experience at AWS, OLX, and Google, he specializes in large-scale distributed systems and mentoring engineering leaders. Diego brings a systems mindset to everything he does and is particularly interested in how storytelling, clarity, and curiosity shape effective leadership.

Agenda:
5:00 - 5:15pm Welcoming + Social (small groups in breakout rooms)
5:15 - 6:00pm - Talk + Q&A

Please note that this zoom meeting is password-protected. RSVP will end 12pm the day of the Meetup event. The zoom info will be sent to you (through Meetup) after the RSVP has closed - please check your email. Please join the zoom link with your real name. We would love to hear your feedback on how we can improve on virtual events.
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